This month the London Assembly will vote on the Mayor’s budget for the coming year.

It is important at this point as we enter the last full year of the Mayoral term to reflect on what has been achieved to date. The Mayor made a commitment to reduce his share of the council tax, and will have cut it by 28 per cent by the end of this year, 100,000 homes are almost delivered, and Crossrail 1 is under construction.

If that was not enough, the Mayor has funded 80,000 apprenticeships for young people, delivered the Olympics on time and has secured an extension of the Northern line with two new stations.

He has also listened and agreed to fund projects put forward by myself and other Conservative Assembly colleagues, including funding homeless services for veterans totalling £300,000-ayear, and £2m for converting garages for the use of small start-up businesses.

I will be voting for the budget again this year so we can continue to deliver on the priorities for Londoners.

TONY ARBOUR GLA
Conservative Assembly member for Hounslow, Richmond, and Kingston